Adventures with Jasper
by Gasp- Dead Deer
Summary: Alice saw an opportunity for Bella to find greater happiness in life, and lets fate hold the cards to her best friend and her husbands future. Jasbell
1. Chapter 1

So, I had this really good idea floating around in my head, and I figured I'd type it out and see where it goes. Well, so far, I like where it's going, even though it picked me up and ran off with my imagination. Seriously, it deviated from what I had planned, and transformed into _this_. And I liked where it went, so I kept it. And kept on going. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it!

Jasbell

After the Cullen's come back in New Moon, but not before Eclipse.  
And I know you can't fly with a gun, but let's just say Jasper can. Just for the story.

Enjoy!

Xx

After my trip to Italy, dad grounded me.

After the Cullens came back, rumors began about me.

How I made such a fuss that I guilted them into coming back. How my thoughts of suicide roped them into making sure I was ok. That I threatened to hunt them down and make them pay for what they did to me.

Where these rumors started- Lauren Mallory. Why they started- because she has nothing better to do than pick on the only new student who hadn't ditched town. What I did about them- nothing.

But I knew the truth. I fell into a depression because Edward had me so wrapped up in him, that he made it hard for me to revert back to myself. I had a high for adrenaline. And I wouldn't have known where to look for them, even if I had the means to find them.

But, now that their back, the rumors changed.

They came back because I was pregnant.

The biggest mistake Lauren made was even opening her mouth. Because the first day back to school, Alice got right in her face and said that maybe she should watch what she says before the rumors fly about her.

And I wouldn't put it past a future-seeing vampire to dig up some good stuff.

Then, the rumors stopped, almost automatically, and Edward, Alice and I were fine. School carried on as normal, and eventually, Charlie ungrounded me.

I hadn't been to the Cullens' house while I was grounded, so the next day, Alice kidnapped me right after school, talking about how another thunderstorm was coming. And that meant more baseball.

I hadn't been to one of their games since the day we met Victoria, James and Laurent. However, I was looking forward to seeing the whole family again (because Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie never really did go off to college).

We pulled up to the Cullen's house, and I saw the rest of the family waiting outside, by Emmett's Jeep. Esme was holding two hats and a vest, while Carlisle held 4 bats and a bag of balls.

We walked over, and Esme handed Alice the vest and a hat, and gave me the other. "Hello, Bella! How are you?" "Good. How are you?" She smiled. "Just wonderful, dear. Carlisle, why don't we get going? The field needs to be prepped" she said, and they took off running through the forest.

That left the rest of us to use the Jeep. Emmett and Rosalie sat up front, leaving Alice, Jasper, Edward and myself to cram into the back. Edward and Alice were arguing over who sat where, while Jasper stared at me, looking pained.

I turned to look at him. "Are you ok?" "Tempted" he said shortly, and Alice never spared him a look when she stopped in the middle of her sentence to say, "You're fine, Jasper" before going back to her argument.

Eventually, Rosalie got fed up with waiting, and told the boys to sit in the seat, me on Edward's lap, with Alice in Jasper's lap. Once I got in, Emmett pulled out, driving through the forest to reach the clearing they used for baseball.

By the time we got there, Esme was running around the field, wearing out the path for the bases. Carlisle greeted us, and Esme stopped to split up the teams. I called being the referee.

Jasper, Edward and Rosalie were on one team, while Emmett, Carlisle and Esme were on the other. Alice was the pitcher, seeing when the next thing of thunder would hit.

First up to bat was Edward, who struck out when Esme caught the ball, sending it hurling towards Carlisle, who was in charge of catching the strikes. He gave me a scowl, and turned to walk away.

I felt hurt, and then found Jasper looking at me as he took his turn to bat. With a crack, he sent the ball flying, before dashing around the field, smoothly running around first and second before Emmett hurled the ball to Carlisle, who caught it a smidge too late as Jasper slid home.

He stood, brushing off some of the mud. "That's how you do it, Edward" he said, before dodging Edward's fist.

Alice and Rosalie were there to stop Edward. "Not now" Alice said quietly, before taking her place in the center of the field.

They played for a long while, before Alice deemed the storm over enough to stop. In the end, Edward's team lost to Carlisle's.

We returned to the house, Esme changing quickly before preparing me something to eat. Alice and Edward were arguing again, and I saw Emmett look at Carlisle concerned. "Do something, dad" he said, nearly pleading, and Carlisle stood from his spot on the couch. "Edward, you've dodged it all day, enough." he said, placing a hand on his first sons' shoulder.

Edward screwed his face up, before facing me. "Bella, the family would like to start working on Jasper's control, and were wondering if you'd mind being the test subject. I won't let anything hurt you" he said in a growl, turning to look at Jasper, who looked flighty enough.

Carlisle's grip tightened. "Edward. I will send you away for this if I have to" he said, and looked at me. "Do you mind, Bella?" he asked nicely, and I nodded. I wouldn't want to face Jasper if he lost his control again.

Esme piped up. "After dinner, Bella? I've finished you're crepes!" she said, and I didn't have the heart to tell her they were more of a breakfast food than dinner.

I finished quickly, and turned to face Carlisle, who was holding Jasper's arm. He was talking quietly to him, and Alice came over to me. "If this goes well, I see you're future changing" she said, before taking in my confused face. "For the better" she said, and I heard Edward growl from.. well, I wasn't sure where he ran off to. But I heard him nonetheless.

Esme took her place on my other side, and Emmett went next to Jasper, while Rosalie stood in the middle, off to the side.

Carlisle spoke up. "I'm just going to have him walk forward, ok Bella? If you feel uncomfortable, just say so" he said, releasing Jasper's arm.

Jasper looked hesitant, before stepping forward. He took it one step at a time, before he paused 3 steps in. His eyes closed, and his jaw tightened. Carlisle spoke up. "How do you feel?" "Tempted" he said, before continuing.

He was about 4 feet in front of me when he stopped again, eyes squeezed shut. "Jasper?" "She smells so good" he said, and I saw Emmett step forward, but Carlisle stopped him.

Jasper closed the space between us, and stared at me with dark eyes. "How are you?" Carlisle said lowly, and Jasper swallowed. "very tempted" he said, and Esme smiled. "You're doing excellent, Jasper. Now, give the human a hug" she said, using Emmett's favorite phrase for me.

He didn't move for a long time, before I saw one of his pale arms come up, and move to my side. A cold hand was placed on the middle of my back, and he slowly brought me to him, other arm still locked at his side.

My chest met his softly, and I let out a shaky breath. This was the closest to Jasper I had ever been, and I would be lying if I didn't say I wasn't scared.

Carlisle's voice rang out. "Good. Now, the other arm" he said, and his other arm came around me just as slowly. Alice told me quietly to hug him back, and I did, my arms meeting his cold back.

And just like that, I was in the arms of the most dangerous Cullen.

Xx

Well, I hope you all liked it! Let me know what you think! I have the next chapter ready to go, just need to edit it a tiny bit, and I'll have it posted sometime soon.

Until then!


	2. Chapter 2

-Gasp- 2 chapters in one day?! AMAZING! Although I did say that it was almost done. Anyway, thank you so much to Cats and Alice for reviewing within the first day; you just made my night!

Here's the second installment of Adventures with Jasper.

Disclaimer: I forgot it in the last chapter, so here's for both- I don't own Twilight or any of the characters.

Enjoy!

* * *

We didn't move for some time, before one of his arms slid up to diagonally rest on my shoulder, and he tightened his grip. I could feel him breathing in and out against my ear, each breath ragged and uneven. Slowly, I felt myself calm down, but wondered if Jasper had anything to do with it.

I heard Alice squeal, and a "I'm so happy for you two!" before Carlisle told Jasper to release me.

He growled.

He actually growled in my ear.

"I'm _never _letting her go"

And then, I was ripped from Jasper's arms, into Edward's, and Jasper was being held back from lunging at us. His black eyes were focused right above me, around where Edward's should be..

No, he was lunging for _Edward_.

"You let her go!" he snarled, voice low and deep; deadly. Carlisle and Emmett had a tight hold on him, but he was slowly fighting his way out of their grasp.

Alice was in front of me then, face sober. "Let her go, Edward. You knew this could happen, and it did. Now don't tempt him. He will kill you" she said, placing her cold hands on my shoulders, and pulling me away from my boyfriend.

I looked at Jasper, and then at Edward, and both of their eyes were black. "Battaglia per il compagno" Edward growled, and Jasper was let go. "Alla morte" Jasper snarled, and both disappeared, glass shattering as Edward was thrown out of the window, Jasper following closely behind.

I went to dart forward, to see what was going on, but Alice held me firmly. "Bella, I'm sorry we lied to you. Jasper also believed we were testing his control, but I saw something that was worth the risk" she said, pulling me to the sofa. I sat down, but was tense and alert for the sounds outside.

Alice's chilly hand pulled my face around to hers, and she leveled me with a serious gaze. "Bella, you're Jasper's sempre compagno. Do you know what that is?" I shook my head, still listening to the sounds outside. They were fading fast.

She moved my head again, and snapped her fingers. "Bella, pay attention, please" she said, and I nodded, focusing on her. "Sempre compagno? Do you know what it is?" "No, I don't know spanish" "It's Italian. It means always mate, or as we call it, forever mate. Bella, you're Jasper's mate" she said, gold eyes holding pain.

I shook my head. "No, he's your mate, isn't he?" "We're companions that married, yes, but he's not my mate. He's yours, and I wanted to see what he would do if he got the chance to be near you. We had to lie, Bella. He's waited a long time for you" she said, holding my hands in her own cold ones.

I wasn't paying attention, instead trying to strain my ears to listen for Jasper or Edward, though I was thinking more of Jasper.

That's when I realized what I was doing, and froze. Esme, who had been silent the whole time, laid a hand on my shoulder. "Bella?" "Oh God, Edward" I said, standing up.

Alice frowned. "What about him? He challenged Jasper for what's rightfully his" she said, standing with me, although I was already heading for the door.

Rosalie, who was standing by the broken window, darted in front of me. "Don't go out there, Bella" she said, turning me around in a second. I turned back around, but found Emmett had joined her. "You really don't need to see that, Bella. Jasper did a number on Edward" he said, and moved his hand behind his back. Although I saw what looked like a toe in his hand.

I felt the confusion settling in. "But, I'm with Edward?" I asked, confused. Esme pulled me backwards, and I was led back to the sofa. "Unfortunatly, he knows the consequenses of anyone of us finding our forever mates, just like the rest of us. You'll think more and more of Jasper, now that the link has been made. It's a four way street. Those who are mates are pulled together, and those who were with the mates are forgotten. Those left behind will recover within the next few months, but you'll end up with Jasper no matter what Edward does or says" she said, tucking some hair out of my face.

It went quiet, and I heard what sounded like two animals snarling before that, too, went quiet, and Jasper came limping in, missing his shoes, shirt torn nearly off, and pants covered in rain and mud.

He was a mess.

And my body betrayed my mind and went right over to him.

He grabbed a hold of me, and began to check me over for any injuries. I said nothing as he turned me this way and that, moving my hair and sniffing my neck to check for open wounds. When he finished, he pulled me into his arms, and I wrapped mine around him just as quickly.

All I could think about was Jasper, but another part of me was horrified that Edward hadn't come in; my boyfriend. But no matter what I did, I couldn't get my body to leave Jasper to check on Edward.

He suddenly froze, and pushed me away harshly, making me trip over my feet and fall on my butt, staring up at Jasper, who was staring at his hands with frightened eyes. He darted his gaze around the family, which was behind me, and then at me.

His jaw worked, but no words came out, until a broken "Alice" came forth, and Alice was slowly going towards him. "It's ok, Jasper. You didn't hurt her" He shook his head, taking steps away from me.

Suddenly, I was being stood up, and I saw Esme and Carlisle on either side of me. "Alice, I'll explain it to him" Carlisle said, motioning for her to join me.

Reluctantly, she pulled away from him, and returned to my side, and Carlisle and Jasper disappeared. From the speed in which everything happened, my stomach rolled, and I leaned forward. "I feel sick" I said, before I was dashed into the closest bathroom. I hit my knees and emptied my stomach of it's contents, heaving for a while before I felt well enough to leave the porcaline bowl. Alice handed me a glass of water, which I used to wash out my mouth, before standing, using Esme's arm as leverage.

They sat me down again, and Alice looked at me with concerned gold eyes. "Bella?" "What'll happen now?" I asked, wondering what would happen to Edward and myself. We were still dating, after all.

She looked at Esme, and then sighed. "Bella, we're going to need to call Charlie" "What? I thought you couldn't tell anyone!" I gasped, and she shook her head, shushing me. "No, no, Bella. We're not telling him about us. All we're going to do is tell him that we're going up to northern Main to visit family of ours. And we want you to come with us! You're practically family anyways!" "Why are we going there?" "Oh Bella, that's just the cover story!" she said exitedly, and I stared increduously at her. "Then what-" "You and Jasper are going out there! The rest of us are heading into Saint John, Canada! It's only a 30 minute run from where we're leaving you two, so if you need anything, we're close by. We're practically neighbors!" she said, jumping in place on the sofa.

I sagged. "You can't just leave me there with him. What about Edward?" "Edward will be going with us. You and Jasper need to finish your mating bond, and having us around will only make you two more stressed. Trust me, I've seen it" she said, pulling me up from the sofa. "And don't worry about Charlie. Leave him to me! And Esme" she said, before clapping her hands. "Oh, you and Jasper will make such a cute couple!" she squealed, before darting off, leaving me with Esme.

I looked at her. "Don't leave me with him" "Oh Bella, he can't hurt you. It's almost impossible now" she said, stroking my cheek to comfort me. I shook my head. "I love Edward. I can't do this to him, not after Italy" I said, and she shook her head. "Bella, Alice saw this a few weeks ago. He's had plenty of time to brace himself for this. You've done nothing wrong, Bella. Fate has given you such a wonderful oportunity. Not everyone, human or vampire, meet their other halves" she said, before leading me up the stairs, and into Carlisle's study.

Carlisle and Jasper looked up from the older man's desk, where papers were scattered all over the surface. Esme tsked. "You're a grown man, and you keep your office in such disaray, Carlisle" Esme chided, pushing me into the room. Jasper looked at me, and tried to move as far from me as possible.

I felt hurt. I would have understood his reaction if this had been our first meeting in close quarters. But as it was, he had been the one to not let me go just minutes ago.

Carlisle caught his arm as he tried to dash around the desk, and he was manhandled into a chair, Esme guiding me firmly to the other chair next to Jasper.

Once we were both seated, Carlisle leaned against his desk, looking at the two of us. "Now, I believe Alice told you what we plan on doing, right Bella?" "Yeah, but-" "And you know that you need to do this" he said, looking at me.

He quickly looked at his son, who was still inching away from me. He froze under Carlisle's penatrating stare, and rightend himself. "Now, I know you're scared, Jasper, and I'm a little worried about leaving you two alone, but you will both suffer if the bond isn't formed fully. You've both seen Marcus."

I looked at him. "Is that why he looked bored?" "Yes. His mate passed away before the bond could be fully established, and it's left it's mark on him." he said, wrapping an arm around his wife.

Jasper spoke up. "What about Alice? I can't just leave her" "Unfortunatly, there's not much anyone can do about that. She'll move on, but your main focus is Bella" Carlisle said, and I shook my head. "I can't do this to Edward" "He'll be fine, Bella. After we put him together again"

I looked at him, horrified, and he looked at Esme. "I thought you told her" "Why would I tell her that her mate just ripped her boyfriend to pieces?" she asked, giving him a glare.

I looked at Jasper, who was leaning away from me. Suddenly, being alone with Jasper seemed like a terrifying thought.

Carlisle looked at me. "I won't lie; Jasper did a number on Edward. However, he'll be fine in a few days, so you don't need to worry about him. We'll take care of him. Now, We'll all be gone for about a month, which should be plenty of time for you two to form the bond. In the mean time, Jasper, you will be expected to find a job to provide for your mate. It doesn't need to be anything more than being able to provide for her. Fishing and hunting count. And Bella, you'll be at home. Unfortunatly for you, the bond is more of a housewife role. So you'll be in charge of the house. It's nothing large, it's smaller than Charlie's house." he said, and pulled out a little spiral bound notebook. "Because it's harder for you, I want you to write an entry in here every night, Bella. I remember Esme being frustrated as our bond formed, and she found a certain level of release by writing in a book." he said, handing me the white covered book.

Jasper sagged in his chair. "I don't know how to fish. You know that." "then maybe you should pull out that old Fayetteville rifle and-" "No. I haven't fired that in a century" "Then go get a new gun" Carlisle said, leaning on his desk. "You can fight it, but you will give in the end." he said, and Jasper sighed.

He stood, and left, vanishing within seconds. I looked at them, hurt. "Why are you doing this to us?" "Bella, we're not punishing you two" Esme said, coming to kneel in front of me. "But mated pairs often find themselves separating from their covens to form their own. We're doing this so that if that ever happens, you'll be prepared." she said, standing me up.

They led me from the study, and I saw Jasper just leaving the door. "Ahem" Carlisle said, and he looked up. "You're forgetting something" he said, and gave me a nudge down the first stair.

And, of course, I tripped and tumbled head first down the stairs.

Two cold arms caught me before I could fall more than a few inches, and I found myself being rightened at the bottom of the stairs, Jasper backing away from me.

Carlisle was behind him in a moment, stopping him from escaping again. "You'll take her with you." he said, and I saw another pained look cross his face before he held the door open for me. I walked out, and not seconds later, the door was shutting, and Jasper was by Carlisle's Mercedes, holding the passenger door open for me.

I slid in, and he shut the door, reappearing on the other side. He had the car started in moments, and we were leaving the long drive, sliding around the turn onto the main road, flying the opposite way out of Forks.

I held onto the seat with everything I had as he whipped around the turns in the road. "You ever think of going into NASCAR?" "Tried it. They didn't like that I emerged from a particurally bad accident in good condition. Carlisle and Esme, rather" he said, whipping the car around another corner.

We took the longer way to Port Angeles, where he pulled into an outdoors outfitters parking lot. He opened my door for me, and I gave him a small smile. "Thanks" "It's the least I could do" he said, before leading me into the store.

I had been here once or twice, Charlie needing something or another when I was younger. I hadn't been particurally fond of the store then, and I wasn't so thrilled with it now. However, we were here for a gun for Jasper, so I figured I'd stick around than risk getting lost in the large store.

He headed straight back, towards a wall of rifles and shotguns. Honestly, all I saw were different sized guns with different styles and colors. I couldn't tell you a shotgun from a rifle. All I knew is that it shot a bullet out the one end.

He deviated just before the wall, and I felt his cold hand wrap around my wrist to tug me into the isle before I really registered that he had turned in the first place, and then I found myself looking at a rack of more guns, but these had a funny looking contraption on the side. [An: it's a flint lock]

He picked one up, and began to examine it. "I suppose you wouldn't know what to look for if I told you, would you?" he asked, raising the gun to his shoulder, aiming at the ceiling.

I shook my head as an assistant came over, beginning to talk to Jasper about this and that about the gun, before he returned it to the rack to pick up another one.

He held one of the guns out to me. "Hold this for a minute" he said, before picking up another one.

He spent a good half hour talking to the assistant, who was going on about how this one weighs less or how that one comes with a better scope. Finally, Jasper sent the man away, saying he had it, before placing the one he had and the one I had back and picking up a different one. "I hate pushy people" he said, before examining that gun.

Eventually, he settled on it, and he had a different person find the box kit in the back, returning to hand it to Jasper. He turned to walk down a different isle, full of bullets and other accessories for the gun.

Once he picked up what he needed, me carrying some of it, we made our way to the register, where Jasper got a background check done before he could buy the gun. Of course, he passed with flying colors, and we were out of there in another few minutes.

He placed the gun in the trunk, and we got in the car, and he pulled into a Texas Roadhouse to feed me.

Really, he was being nice despite the slight anxiety I felt coming off of him. He ordered himself a coffee and a light appetizer, while I ordered a good sized burger.

I was amazed as he actually drank the coffee, and he gave me a smirk. "What, I can't enjoy a cup of coffee?" "Doesn't it taste bad?" "Somewhat. However, it's something I retained after the war" he said cryptically, making me wonder about that for the remainder of dinner.

He brought me back to the Cullen's house, where Alice was talking animatedly on the phone, dancing around the living room. She was up and down the sofas, across the coffee table, and perching on the fireplace mantle while she talked, making me wonder if their house was steel plated. It probably was.

She grinned when she saw us, and darted right over to me. "Bella! Your dad wants to talk to you!" she said, pushing her phone into my hands and flitting away.

I raised it to my ear. "Dad?" "Jeez, Bella. I've been trying to get a hold of you. When were you planning to tell me that you're going on vacation with the Cullens?" he asked, and I bit my lip. "I only found out today, dad." He paused, before an awkward, "oh" came over the line. "You're in your last year, Bella. You can't miss school." "I'll be fine. I'm sure Alice will help me study for anything I miss" I said, raising my voice to let her know she owed me that much. She smiled at me.

Dad sighed. "fine, but we're talking tonight. I don't want that Edwin-" "Edward" "boy staying in your room, got it?" "I think that's managable" I said, knowing he wasn't going to be in the same country as me.

He hung up after telling me to head on home, and I bid the Cullen's goodnight. On my way out, I saw that Jasper had taken over the kitchen table to put together his new gun. He looked up at me. "I'll see you later" he said, and returned to screwing the gun together.

* * *

Well, let me know what you think! Chapter 3 is a work in progress, but it'll be ready soon.

Until then!


	3. Chapter 3

My gosh, 4 reviews? You all rock! I hope this chapter doesn't seem too clichéd, but I tried my best to make it work.

I don't own Twilight.

Enjoy!

* * *

That weekend, I was all packed up- thank you, Alice, and ready to go on my flight to Maine. The majority of the family would be flying together, while Carlisle and Esme, who had left a few days ago, would be taking the Mercedes and Alice's Porche across the country. They'd meet us in Machias Valley Airport, Machias, Main, to pick us all up, and drop off Jasper and I at our temporary house. Then they'd continue on to Canada.

We were all boarding the plane when Jasper appeared at my side, eyes shifting over the large amounts of humans. "It hurts" he said lowly, and I looked up at him. "Then maybe you want to move away from the human?" I asked, unsure.

He shook his head, and I saw Emmett appear on his other side. "Just stay calm. You're fine" he said to his brother, and Jasper nodded, more than once licking his lips in nervous agitation.

Esme had us booked for first class, so at least we weren't packed into small seats surrounded by humans. Jasper took the isle seat, letting me stare out the window on our flight.

I slept through most of the flight, and Jasper woke me when we landed, finally having made our way to the tiny airport. We claimed our luggage, and we walked out, not really having to look for Carlisle or Esme.

We piled into the cars, which was trip in itself. Emmett, Jasper and Edward all sat in the Mercedes, while Rosalie, Alice and myself rode in the Porche with Esme, being bounced around the tiny car while we drove to their house.

It was bordering the forest, and tucked away behind a row of trees, but it was beautiful for not having been used before we got here. There was a lot of yard work to be done, and I winced at how much I would have to do inside.

The other 4 'kids' stayed in the car, while Esme and Carlisle unlocked the door, leading Jasper and myself inside.

I stopped dead in my tracks. The amount of dust in this house was unbelievable. "And I have to clean this? On my own? Are you kidding me?" I asked, feeling overwhelmed.

And then I was calming down, and I didn't think anything of it until I saw Jasper's slight smirk on his concentrated face. "No fair, Jasper" I said, and Carlisle shut the door.

"Welcome to our house, Bella. It's in rough shape, I know, but I don't doubt you'll do what you can in your month here" he said, giving us a warm smile.

Jasper set his gun case agaisnt the wall, and frowned at the dust cloud. "This is torture for her, isn't it?" he asked, and Esme chuckled. "Not at all. You should have seen this place when we first got here. Oh, I practically rebuilt it myself!" she said, and I winced. That was probably 80 some years ago.

I looked into the tiny kitchen, which was separated from the living room by a half wall. "Are we allowed to do some renovating?" "Of course! Make it yours! This is for the both of you to learn and grow on each other" Esme said, before hugging us both. "Now, behave. You'll have Alice's Porche to do your running around in, and Jasper has one of the debit cards. So Bella, I don't want you to worry about the price of _anything_, ok? I'd be amazed if you could drain the account, but I hardly doubt you'd make even a dent." she said, and Jasper checked his wallet, indeed finding a white and orange card in there with the name Jasper Cullen pressed into it.

They left soon after, and when the door finally clicked shut, I felt myself become overwhelmed. "I've got to clean all of this" I said, and Jasper wandered into the kitchen. "I got to fill this" he said, referring to the fridge.

We both looked at each other, and he grabbed his gun case. "Well, I'll-" "Not a chance. At least help me clean off the sofa." I said, and he sighed before setting the case down again.

We uncovered the furniture, and I gagged at the claw footed, faded flowery sofa I unearthed from the dust, and Jasper gave me that irritating smirk. "What, not to your liking?" "No. I don't know how anyone could live with this" I said, sitting down.

I'd crash on the couch tonight, and Jasper said we'd go into town to find a furniture store, because even he agreed that it was old and ready for the trash.

He took me out to a tiny diner, where we were greeted by a nice older lady, who got us seated quickly. Again, Jasper ordered a coffee and a small apetizer, while I ordered an actual dinner.

We didn't talk of much, but it wasn't uncomfortable by any means. We left quickly, returning to the house after an hour.

Because of the jet lag and having slept on the plane, I wasn't tired by the time 10 came around, and Jasper had me change while he set down some blankets for me on the sofa. At least Esme had the thought to tie the blankets in garbage bags before she left.

I came out in old thin sweats and a long sleeved tee, because the heat wasn't quite working, and I didn't want to freeze this far north. I lay on the sofa, uncomfortable, and Jasper sat in another chair, cleaning his gun. "Do you need help sleeping?" He asked, gold eyes looking up at me. I nodded, knowing that tomorrow would be a long day.

Lethargy came over me, and I felt my eyes close. I think I mumbled something to Jasper, but I wasn't sure as I fell into an induced sleep.

Xx

I woke up at 6 the next morning, feeling slightly refreshed. I saw that Jasper was gone, but a note was on the chair he had been in last night.

'Out hunting, I'll be back by 10 for furniture shopping'

I shook my head at his short note, before finding the trash to throw it out.

I spent the morning learning how to use the ancient vacuum cleaner, vacuuming as much of the pesky dust as I possibly could.

I knew when Jasper returned, because one moment the freshly washed table was empty, and the next, a dead deer lay staring at me upside down. I nearly screamed until a chilly hand came over my mouth, a cold chest meeting my back. "It's just me, I forgot you couldn't hear me" Jasper said, before letting me go.

I turned to look at him, and pointed to the dead animal. "I just cleaned that. If you make a mess, you're cleaning it up" I said, and went on to dusting off any flat surfaces.

He wasted little time in skinning the deer and carving it, making me gag and move into the smaller room. There were two in this house, probably when it was just Carlisle, Esme and Edward.

I knew my suspicions were confirmed when I opened the drawers, and found chewed collared shirts that looked to fit Edward. I held half of them up, wondering what the hell went through his mind when he bought them. Guys should _not _wear floral.

When I left the room, clothes in a pile, Jasper had a freshly washed large bowl full of raw meat. He was just putting the rest of the deer in an old garbage bag, and I stared at the deer meat. It looked odd.

"Jasper, why is it a brownish color?" He looked at it, and then at me. "I thought you hated the sight of blood?"

It took a moment, but then I understood. "You ate it first?" "It was bleeding, Bella. And you wouldn't apreciate a bloody mess in your kitchen" he said, setting the tied bag down.

Jasper ate my dinner. I didn't know whether to be grateful or disgusted.

He was in front of me in moments. "If it's that bad, I won't do it again" he said, and I shook my head. "No, it's fine. This way you ate too." I said, and he nodded.

He finished up with that and then we were locking up, going to a furniture store. We were hoping to find something that was already in stock, so that we didn't have to wait the entire month for it to get here, just for us to leave.

We struck out in the few local places, and so Jasper hit the highway, and we found a store with a few options.

We chose a simple black sofa, with matching chairs- all recliners, thankfully, and a glass top coffee table. And since there was one in the area, we hit Walmart for a new tv. The old one was ready to go.

After that, we headed home, because we had ordered our furniture to arrive today, so we had to be home to get it. The Porche barely fit the new 50" tv.

We pulled up behind the truck with our stuff, and Jasper helped move the old stuff out, while I signed the papers and told them where to put everything. Jasper could move it later if he wanted.

They left, and I looked at the new furniture. "One thing down, a thousand more to go" I said, and Jasper, who had been waving them off, agreed. "At least you won't be sleeping on rotted stuffing." "I really didn't need to know that" I said, before going to look in the smaller bedroom. "Hey, what are the chances you want to run out for garbage bags? Edward's clothes have got to go" I said, and Jasper stiffened. "Edward?" "At least, I think it's Edwards" I said, and he was next to me in a flash, discretely smelling the air. "Yep, that's Eddie boy's all right. He wore floral?" he asked, picking up one of his many shirts. "I'm glad I never saw him in them" I said, honest.

So, while I made a quick call to Esme and Carlisle to ask if I could toss their chewed clothes, Esme screamed in my ear about something or another. I was then told that she had lost her wedding dress years ago, and that aparently, it was somewhere in the house.

Joy.

I promised to find it, and they told me to chuck their clothes, although I think Carlisle was hesitant about me going through their clothes. And if what I found in Edward's room was anything to go by, I had a feeling theirs would be just as bad.

They were. Esme had poodle skirts.

Jasper returned to find me holding up one of many outrageous skirts. "I don't believe those will fit you" he said, and I put the skirt down. "is that any way to talk to a lady?" I asked, and he smirked. "My apologies"

I couldn't help but stare as his accent poked through, and his smirk widened. "Somethin' wrong?" "You using your accent is wrong" "I know it's a turn on, but keep-" "Jasper!" "Alright, no more" he said, normally (thank God).

He helped me bag the clothes, and then haulled them out the door, returning to drag all of the trash out. He stopped to stare at me, and I frowned at him. "Can I help you?" "I can tell you're hungry" he said, and I flushed. "I'm fine. I'll eat later" He turned to fully look at me, leaning agaisnt the old bed. "You're lying" he said, and I frowned. "Then feed me, Jasper. I don't know what to tell you" I said, and turned around to continue on with Edward's clothing.

I asumed he left, because the room was silent for a while after that. It was only when I heard the car starting that I realized how much of a bitch I was being. And it felt horrible.

I sat there, picking at the poodle skirt, when Jasper returned. He came in, and knelt by my side. "Bella?" "What's happening to me?" I asked, and he gave an uneccessary sigh. "Carlisle told me that it's the bond. It happened to Esme, and I don't doubt it'll happen to you" he said, sliding two cold hands under my arms and haulling me up. "Now, why don't we get you fed?" he said, and pretty much dragged me out of the room, and into the kitchen. He forced me into a rickedy chair, and I saw he had gone to the local supermarket and picked me up a boxed salad with chicken and caesar dressing. One of my prefferred prefferences.

"Oh, thanks" I said, and dug in, while he went around checking the cabinet doors. "I can probably take these off and strip, sand and stain these." he said, and began to unscrew the hinges with his nail.

I looked away, a bit disgusted, and focused on eating. Jasper chucked and piled the cabinet doors against the wall. "D'you want to get new counter tops? I don't think wood is a safe option around a paper thin human" "Shut up. This human has asked to be changed, however, her boyfriend refuses to change her" I mumbled, stabbing my salad harshly for effect.

Jasper stilled, looking back at me. "Ex" "Hm?" "He's your ex. I won't tolerate you having a boyfriend while I'm trying to accept the mating bond"

I knew what he said made sense. However, something in me, the part still clinging to Edward, snapped. "He's still my boyfriend, Jasper. We never broke up." "Then do so." "No! Who are you to tell me what to do?" "Your mate, and your future husband" he nearly snarled, and I stood up, pointing my fork at him.

"Listen here, you pompous asshole. By no means have I _ever _agreed to be your mate. And I sure as hell never want to be married to the likes of _you_!" I yelled, before stabbing the wood table with the fork, making it stick out of the old wood, and storming into Carlisle and Esme's old room, slamming the door shut behind me, finding the old brass key to the door, and locking myself in.

I then shoved the old- and very heavy- oak dresser in front of the door, and then locking the window, pulling the curtain's shut, and collapsing onto the old rotted mattress, crying.

I hated myself at that moment. The logical side of me was berating myself over lying to both Jasper and myself, and for yelling at him in the first place. For all intent's and purpouses, Edward and I were over, and there was no going back to him. But I refused to accept that I was stealing my best friends' husband for myself. And that, I think, was the worst part of the problem.

He wasn't even mine, and I was taking him, regardless of how my boyfriend or his wife felt.

I wasn't sure how long I laid there, but eventually, a soft knock came at the door. "Bella, open up" I had stopped crying a bit ago, but I wasn't in the mood to move from my frozen state on the bed, eyes burning and staring blankly at the old quilted comforter.

Another knock sounded. "Bella, please open up" he said, and the door knob jiggled. "If I really wanted to, I'd break the door, but I want you to let me in on your own" he warned, and I rolled onto my stomach. "leave me alone" I said in an exhausted tone, and he didn't say anything past that. But I did feel sleepy all of a sudden, and the next thing I knew, my eyes were drooping, and my mind was being lulled to sleep.

* * *

Well, there's chapter 3. Let me know what you think! This is as far as I've gotten, so if you have any ideas, PLEASE let me know! I'll try and work your ideas into the story. Every little bit helps!

Until then!


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